Oscar Pistorius's father blames South Africa's gun culture on ANC

The father of Oscar Pistorius, the paralympian who shot his girlfriend dead on St Valentine's Day, has blamed the high number of South Africans who carry guns on the failure of the ANC government to bring down violent crime.

He insisted during a bail application in court last week that he shot Miss Steenkamp through a locked lavatory door believing her to be a burglar.

Prosecutors say he gunned down the 29-year-old model after she fled to the bathroom following a row.

Henke Pistorius, who was seen comforting his previously-estranged son as he wept in the dock, said the family were firearms collectors and hunters, but also needed guns for self-defence.

"Some of the guns are for hunting and some are for protection, the hand guns. It speaks to the ANC government, look at white crime levels, why protection is so poor in this country, it's an aspect of our society," he said.

"You can't rely on the police, not because they are inefficient always but because crime is so rife." He said he personally had never had to use a gun in self-defence, but added: "That doesn't mean I haven't been hijacked, attacked. As a family, we value life much too much to produce guns at every opportunity we can use them.

"I have been in positions where I can use a gun but we have been brought up in a way that we value the lives of others very highly."

According to Beeld, an Afrikaans language newspaper, Henke Pistorius, Oscar's grandfather Hendrik, and his uncles Arnold, Theo and Leo own a combined total of 55 shotguns and handguns. The chair of a firearm collectors association Oscar Pistorius joined last April claims he bought six guns for what he planned to be a collection of U.S. and South African-manufactured firearms.

Among six weapons he applied to South African Police for licenses for were three shotguns, a Smith & Wesson 500 described as "the most powerful production revolver in the world" and a 223-calibre semi-automatic rifle similar to that used in the Sandy Hook school massacre in the United States.

The murder rate in South Africa has dropped by 28 per cent since 2003.

"Crime is something that affects everyone in this country," he said. "We have acknowledged it as a problem but there are many strikes that the government is making in addressing these issues.

"It doesn't justify a person having to use a gun to kill, or justify him having many guns in his house. People must report crime to the police. Oscar's father has no right to say that. It's a very worrying statement."

It also emerged that an Italian town has cancelled its sponsorship of Mr Pistorius. Paolo Urbani, the mayor of Gemona, told South Africa's Rapport the town would discontinue its five-year sponsorship deal signed in November, which provided Pistorius was 12k GBP a year, plus accommodation and expenses in return for him training there for four months each year. "It is important that Oscar knows we are not angry with him. We are also not judging him. He can only be judged by the law," said Mr Urbani.